


Never Let Go

by nightlight9



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Becoming a family, Christmas fic, First Meeting, John’s POV, M/M, Pre-Slash, Sheriff Stilinski's Name is John, coming together, good feelings, outsider pov
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-10
Updated: 2018-12-10
Packaged: 2019-09-15 20:42:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16940367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nightlight9/pseuds/nightlight9
Summary: John has learned some hard lessons in life, liking knowing that sometimes loving someone means letting them go. When Derek Hale returns to town, John finds himself taking the young man in. After all, Derek has already lived through some hard lessons of his own, and John figures that he could benefit from having someone take care of him.John never expected how much his life would change by doing so, and when Stiles meets Derek for the first time, he knows without a doubt that all of their lives are changing for the better.





	Never Let Go

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Holidays, everyone! This fic turned into an ode to the friendship between Derek and Sheriff Stilinski. It’s about the importance of family and caring for one another and how meeting the one that you love changes everything in an instant, all wrapped in a sweet holiday bow. I hope that you all enjoy it, and I hope that wherever you are, that you have someone or something that makes you smile this holiday season.

John has learned a lot of hard lessons in his life. He knows that you should always look both ways before crossing the street, even if you’re on a bicycle. He’s learned that you need to wait for your food to cool off before taking a bite, no matter how good it looks. He knows better than to listen to the jeers and dares of classmates, even if you think it will impress your crush. 

But perhaps the hardest thing that he’s learned, the thing that has shaped him into the person that he is today, is that sometimes loving someone means letting them go. 

When John lost Claudia, it felt like he had lost everything that he had ever cared about. A void opened inside of his chest, and he wasn't sure that he would ever feel whole again. But because he loved her so much, he knew that he had to keep going. And in order to do that, he had to let her go. It was hard. Falling into a bottle and following after her would have been so easy. But John had Stiles, and if Claudia was his entire world, Stiles was his everything. He let her go to stay with him, and even though it was one of the hardest lessons that John had to learn, he’s glad that he lived through it. 

Especially because, like all great lessons, he’s able to use what he learned from losing Claudia and apply it to other aspects of his life. When it’s time for Stiles to go to college, John knows without a doubt that he has to let Stiles go. New York seems so far away, but John bites back his protests over Stiles’ choice in schools and sends his son off with a smile. After all, even though it feels like John is losing the only family he has left, he knows that getting a full ride into NYU was a huge accomplishment for Stiles. It was his dream school and it had been for years, and John wasn’t going to let Stiles waste such an amazing opportunity just to have him stay close by. After all, Stiles was grown up, and he had his own like to live, his own lessons to learn. If New York is the first step towards Stiles becoming who he’s supposed to be, then who is John to get in the way of that? 

Unfortunately, even though he knows that it’s the right thing to do, letting Stiles go still isn’t easy. John is man enough to admit that he misses his son probably too much, and he’s self aware enough to recognize how lonely he is without Stiles constantly badgering him. The deputies at the station notice, and they try their hardest to make up for Stiles’ absence by inviting John to their bbqs and potluck parties. And it’s nice, really, feeling like he’s a part of the community. But it’s not the same as having his son around. 

Then Derek Hale comes back to town baring a scowl and several glowing recommendations for employment, and things change. After his interview, John hires him right on the spot. It’s not proper protocol, not really. But Derek is a perfect candidate for the position. He has had several years of experience as an officer in Seattle, which set him apart from the few other applicants that the station has had, and he’s polite and well spoken even with his permanent scowl in place. 

And, though John would be a little ashamed to admit it, there’s another reason that he so readily chooses Derek as his newest deputy; he _remembers_ Derek, and that means a lot. 

The Hale fire was the biggest massacre that Beacon Hills had ever had the misfortune of witnessing. Eleven people, the majority of the Hale empire, had been tucked away in bed when their house was set on fire by a madman with too many matches. No one made it out of the house alive. John had been the one to find Derek at one of his friends’ house. They had still been up playing video games when John knocked on the door to bring Derek to the station. His older sister Laura had also been staying with a friend, and so together they were all that was left of the once prominent Hale family. The pair had left Beacon Hills soon after the fire, moving up to stay with a distant cousin in Washington, but John will always remember the look on Derek’s face as he hid behind his sister and cried. 

It’s the same look that he sees Derek wearing when he shows up to the station, one of weary determination. Grown up Derek may he harder than he was as a kid, and even though he has an almost icy disposition, John can still picture the young boy with tears streaked down his cheeks, crying when he’s told that everyone he’s loved is dead and gone. 

The other deputies at the station avoid him as much as they can, put off by his surly attitude. But John can’t help but seek him out. There’s something about him, something about the distant sincerity buried under all of the walls that he’s built around his heart that reminds John of himself.

While John had had half of his life to learn some very hard lessons, Derek had only been fifteen when he had to learn to let his loved ones go. And John wants to take care of him, wants to look after him whatever way he can. Stiles going off to school meant that John didn’t have anyone to take care of anymore, and as soon as Derek begins working at the station, he becomes the person with whom John’s paternal energy is directed. 

At first, John expects that Derek is going to shut his haphazard attempts at caregiving down. He’s a grown up, after all, and though he still lives with his sister, he doesn’t really need anyone to take care of him. But Derek accepts every lunch that John brings him, never complains when he’s asked if he’s getting enough sleep; hell, he doesn’t even grumble when John reminds him to put a coat on when the weather turns colder. 

That’s when John notices that, not only does he not complain about everything that John is doing, but Derek actually starts to relax when he’s around. And he knows that he’s making a difference in Derek’s life when he’s introduced to Laura and he suddenly finds himself being an honorary member of their little family. He becomes a regular at the obligatory Hale family dinners, spends Thanksgiving with Derek and Laura when Stiles can’t make it home, and helps Laura finance the bakery that she’s always wanted to open in town. It’s like John has adopted two adults who, though they can care for themselves and have been for years, need John as much as he needs them. 

Watching as they decorate the Christmas tree Derek dragged through his front door earlier that night, John sips at his hot chocolate and smiles. 

“You can’t put that one there,” Derek growls, glaring at Laura when she places yet another blue bulb onto the tree. 

“You know the rules, Der,” she sing-songs, cackling wildly when Derek turns his pleading eyes on John. “Once it’s on the tree, you can’t take it off or move it.”

When John does nothing more than raise his eyebrows, Derek scowls and turns back to his own meticulous decorating. “Well then can you please try a little harder to spread out your bulbs instead of clumping them altogether?”

With a wicked grin, Laura puts yet another blue bulb onto the same branch, and Derek throws his hands up in defeat. “You know what, fine. If you want a weird, half blue tree, fine.” He moves on then, putting down his bulbs in favor of grabbing the stockings to hang up. Meeting John’s gaze, Laura smiles fondly and quickly rearranges her collection of blue bulbs, spreading them out while Derek is too busy to notice. 

Glancing around the room, John feels good. There’s garland curling over the banisters, a wreath hanging on his front door, a collection of nutcrackers on his side table. John hadn’t been planning on decorating the house. He hasn’t bothered with it in years, and there wasn’t really a point doing it for Stiles because he isn’t even going to be home until Christmas Eve. 

But seeing how the lights twinkle and the garland glistens, looking at the way the bulbs catch the light from the fire and reflect the warmth in the house, John is glad that Derek and Laura barged in on him without permission. Seeing everything put together, John is reminded of Claudia in all of the best ways, and even though he misses her and Stiles like crazy, he feels good knowing that he has these two too. 

Derek disappears into the kitchen to get some more hot chocolate, and John smiles over at Laura. “Thank you.”

Her expression softens and she comes over to him and perches on the edge of the chair he’s sitting in. “After the fire, the holidays were hard.” She keeps her voice pitched low so that Derek can’t hear her. “It was like we had nothing left to celebrate, and every event was a glaring reminder of everything that we had lost. Christmas was especially hard. It had been my mother’s favorite holiday, and she always went big when it came to celebrating it. She would always say that it was a day for family and cheer and good tidings, and then we lost them and it was like we didn’t have any of that anymore. But, as the years passed, I realized that even though celebrating without them hurt, it was something that Derek and I needed to do, for them and for ourselves. Now it’s a time for us to remember what we’ve lost and to be thankful for what we do have.”

She looks over at the tree, eyes glistening both from the light and with unshed tears. “Coming back to Beacon Hills was hard. We had always known that this was where we belonged, that this was our real home no matter how far we tried to run from it. And we knew that it was time to come back, even if it wasn’t easy.” Taking a deep breath, she turns to look at him again. “You made it easier, John. When Derek was closed off and focused more on the job than on himself, you helped remind him that he was important too. You’ve given us something that neither of us have had in years: guidance, safety, love. Christmas is about celebrating with your family, and you’ve become our family. It was important to us that you felt some of the warmth too.”

Trying not to get choked up, John reaches out and ruffles her hair, smiling softly when she closes her eyes in contentment at the action. He had known that he was important to the Hale siblings, but hearing Laura admit it makes warmth bloom in his chest. 

Right then, the front door opens and Stiles steps into the living room, a duffle bag over one shoulder and a smile on his lips. He pauses when he sees Laura, but doesn’t get a chance to comment because John is clambering to his feet and dragging Stiles into a hug before he can say anything at all.

Laura watches them with a smile before excusing herself and moving into the kitchen to give them some space. 

“Stiles! What are you doing home so early? I didn’t expect you to show up until Christmas Eve!”

Stiles laughs, pulling away from the hug to grin at his dad. “I know; I wanted to surprise you!” He glances around the living room, his mouth falling open in surprise when he sees all the decorations. “It looks great in here, dad.” His voice is soft, taking everything in with a sense of wonder. John knows, without a doubt, that it reminds Stiles of his mother too. “What made you do all of this?”

John shrugs, turning to take everything in. “Derek and Laura showed up earlier with the tree, and I thought maybe it was high time to pull out some of your mom’s old decorations. It’s-. I hope you don’t mind that we decorated without you.”

Stiles blinks at him. “Gods no, this looks great. I’m glad that you did. If it had just been us, it never would have gotten done.” He glances over at the kitchen door. “Is that them, then? Can I meet them?” Stiles has heard a lot about the Hale siblings and is eager to finally match faces with their names.

Rolling his eyes, John takes Stiles’ duffle. “No, son. They’re going to leave through the back door to avoid meeting you.” Stiles shoves at his shoulder and laughs, and it makes John feel good. “Come on, let’s get you some hot chocolate and then we’ll do introductions.”

Laura chooses that moment to push back into the living room with two mugs of cocoa and a warm smile. “You must be Stiles,” she says, passing him one of the mugs. “Derek and I have been dying to meet you! It’s awesome that you got to come home so early. Now you can help us finish the tree!”

John is slightly worried by the shell shocked expression on Stiles’ face. But then he looks at his mug, looks back at Laura, and beams. “That sounds like a great idea! You know, I haven’t gotten to-.” He trails off, mouth falling open with a shocked sound, and John turns to see what’s captured his attention. 

Derek has just entered the living room. He’s looking down at his shoes, but when he finally glances up to see why the room is so quiet, his eyes widen.

John decides immediately that he’s witnessing something very special. He remembers how his own breath had caught when he saw Claudia for the first time, can remember how helpless he had felt falling for her. Watching as a blush colors Derek’s cheeks and the tips of his ears, and hearing how Stiles inhales quickly, John thinks that maybe this is the start of another chapter for both of them. And he’s glad that he’s here to see their first meeting. 

He meets Laura’s amused gaze, rolls his eyes, and steps further into the living room. “Come on then,” he says, hiding a smile when Stiles jumps, as though he had forgotten that there were other people in the room. “We have more decorating to do.” He knows that Derek and Stiles are gravitating toward each other, can hear their soft, shy introductions, but he gives them their space. He settles back into his chair, sips his drink, and basks in the warmth. Laura moves back to the tree picking up a box of bulbs, and eventually the boys join her. 

When Laura asks how his semester went, Stiles perks up and tells them about his classes and his finals and anything else he can think of. Soon enough, he’s enveloped by the warm atmosphere. When Laura starts giving Derek a hard time, Stiles smiles and joins right in, bumping his shoulder against Derek’s in an action that is too familiar for a first meeting but feels easy and right.

Looking around the living room, John smiles. Yeah, he’s learned some hard lessons in life, but if they’ve led him to this moment than he knows that they’re worth it. Because this mismatched bunch gathered around the tree is his family. Tomorrow he’ll pick up two extra stockings to hang over the hearth. Later he’ll wrap everyone’s gifts, and try not to get upset when Stiles ditches him to take Derek out on their first date. He’ll conspire with Laura and put mistletoe in every doorway of the house, cackling with her when Stiles and Derek step under one and blush so hard that they nearly turn purple. 

Even later than that, Stiles will leave again to head back to school with a promise to call later, and even though it will be hard to let him go, John will, just like he always does. This time though it will be a little easier, because he knows without a doubt that Stiles will be back, and he’ll smile when his son kisses Derek goodbye because he knows that they’ll make it. Much, much later, he’ll attend their wedding and cry when Derek calls him dad for the first time. He’ll walk Laura down the aisle, and watch Stiles accept a job with the FBI. He’ll become a grandpa, and his house will be filled with laughter again and the sound of little feet running through the halls.

For now though he watches them decorate and smiles. 

“Come on, John,” Derek says, turning to look at him with eyes bright. “You get to do the star.”

Climbing to his feet, John sits his mug down and joins them. Accepting the tree topper from Laura, John looks all three of them in the eyes and stretches up to attach the star. This is his family, he thinks, smiling when Laura slings her arms around both Derek and Stiles. And John isn’t going to let them go.


End file.
